Charity Visit to Musu Nameliai

Yesterday Regina and I went to visit Musu Nameliai in Naujoji Vilnia.  It is a home for disadvantaged children & youth which received funds from last year's bazaar to purchase the red sofa you see, a television screen and DVD player and a foosball table.  The library you see is very nice -- one of the only homes to have such a service.

The home is a safe haven for thirty children, from first graders to 18 years old.  The children here suffer neglect at home and, often, teasing at school.  The social workers are all volunteers -- and they seem to care deeply for the children.  The children are mainly members of minority groups -- Polish and Russian, for the most part.

Thanks to the funds from last year's bazaar, the children were scheduled to have their regular Friday-night American movie night with popcorn.

Yet, most of the children are suffering from depression and find it difficult to feel any enthusiasm about proposed outings, like going out to see a movie; most prefer to stay within the comforting walls of the center.

I was immediately struck with an idea I've read about here and there: get someone to volunteer at least an hour a week to teach these kids a martial art (my daughter's heroine, a fencing champion, started just such a program in France).  In fact, here is an excerpt of a Dutch study on this type of program:

Notwithstanding the lack of empirical support for its positive socio-psychological effects, numerous educators and welfare workers make use of martial arts in their work with socially vulnerable youth. Using qualitative methodology, the aims, approaches and personal experiences were analysed of teachers and co-ordinators involved in specific martial arts programmes (n = 12) for disadvantaged youth in Flanders (Belgium). Results revealed that although all respondents were very positive with regard to the effects of their programmes on the youngsters they work with, most would not regard these as different from the effects resulting from regular participation in sport or other social activities. Martial arts were selected because of their specific attraction to youth. Findings also showed that great importance was attached to the type of guidance used.

I plan to ask my daughter's Taekwondo coach, who is also the Lithuanian national team coach, to volunteer his time at the center.  But if any of you have contacts with martial arts coaches or even dance instructors willing to do this, please let me know.  The center has a large hall perfectly suited to such activities.  The social workers were all doubtful that anyone would do such a thing, so let's try to restore some of their faith in humanity.

Also, the main requests we got during our visit were for more clothing (I delivered several bagfuls, but please see my next post about clothing donations) and for a bag of sweets each for the Christmas holiday.  Again, if you know of a supermarket, shop or company willing to donate such items, please let me know.  I have already allocated Judith's donation of candy canes to the kids at this center.  Any kind of table game, like the one already donated, is also and much-used and loved.